


The Best Weapon

by AeonTheDimensionalGirl



Series: I’ve Got You (You’re Safe Now) [17]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: (But Merlin Doesn't Know That He Knows), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angry Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Angst with a Happy Ending, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Canon Era, Dark Morgana (Merlin), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), M/M, Magic Revealed, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Scared Merlin (Merlin), Season/Series 03, Snarky Merlin (Merlin), Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:34:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27054229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AeonTheDimensionalGirl/pseuds/AeonTheDimensionalGirl
Summary: With Merlin becoming more and more of a pain in her ass, Morgana decides to make use of her trump card.
Relationships: Merlin & Morgana & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: I’ve Got You (You’re Safe Now) [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1939345
Comments: 37
Kudos: 689





	The Best Weapon

**Author's Note:**

> **PROMPT No 17. I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING**  
>  **Blackmail** | **Dirty Secret** | **Wrongfully Accused**
> 
> Back at it again with the three prompts.
> 
> I am posting this unedited cause I was hurrying to publish this on the due date, so I apologize for the errors.

Morgana was at her wits end with Merlin.

She felt like she’d tried everything to get rid of the servant, but the bastard was a stubborn survivor.

If she weren’t so pissed off, Morgana would admire the resilience.

“Why can’t you just die?” she hissed when cornering him on an alcove shortly after returning from Castle Fyrien.

“Why can’t you just stop conspiring against Camelot?” Merlin snapped back.

“The throne is mine by birthright” Morgana coolly replied, sinking her nails onto the servant’s arm when he snorted.

“Do stop saying that, Arthur is older than you by two months. Everyone knows that” Merlin said with an equal frivolous tone, “Even as Uther’s bastard daughter, you’re still the youngest”

“Arthur is Uther’s son through and through” the sorceress hissed, “I will be the one to bring peace to Camelot”

“Judging by the way you’ve been conspiring with Morgause and Cenred, you’re not convincing me well of that”

Morgana slapped him.

“Stop getting in my way, Merlin” she said as she watched with mild glee how he cradled his injured cheek, “If you keep at this-”

“You’ll leave me to be drowned by a kelpie-?”

“-I will tell Arthur” Morgana finishes with a smirk, watching how the bastard stilled.

“… Tell Arthur what?” he asked tentative, looking uncertain.

“Why, how his dear servant Merlin was the one responsible for the King’s ward to go missing two years ago” she gleefully informed him, watching with satisfaction how the raven paled.

“Morgana-” he whispered.

“Stop getting in my way, and Arthur will know nothing” the sorceress shrugged, “It’s simple really”

Giving Merlin a sweet smile, Morgana left him shaking in the alcove, smirking satisfied to herself.

That should do it.

* * *

Merlin was at his wits end with Morgana.

He knows that it’s his fault, knows deeply that he will always be responsible for her descent into dark bitterness, he can’t deny it to himself.

But Merlin also knows that he’s not responsible for her choices against Camelot. He’s not guiding her hand in those decisions that purposely harm the people she claims to want to lead.

Honestly, with that attitude she’s not better than Uther.

And yet-

Her warning to him had left him terrified.

Merlin had always know he was going to live with Damocles’ sword on top of him in Camelot; but now he was on the edge of the precipice, barely holding on to the cliff while Morgana looked down on him, foot lightly raised with the threat of making him fall-

And then Uther sends Arthur on a life-threatening quest to prove himself as Camelot’s next King to the fucking Perilous lands.

The P-E-R-I-L-O-U-S lands!

It’s right in the name!

Reluctantly, Merlin accepts that Arthur has to go. Despite his jests that the Crown Prince is useless without him, the warlock is well aware that the blond is capable of making it out on his own in the outdoors; so Merlin forces himself to relax a bit-

Until he notices the bracelet in Arthur’s wrist when he is set to depart, heart leaping to his throat.

“You like it?” Arthur asked with a little excited voice when he caught him looking, “Morgana gave it to me”

Dark magic encased the simply jewelry.

Slowly, Merlin turns over where the King’s ward is standing with Uther, the perfect picture of innocence.

Morgana caught his eyes, giving him a small knowing look before glancing to the King and then to the Prince, smiling darkly.

_‘Remember my promise’_

Merlin jumped slightly when he heard her voice in his head, glaring at the sorceress.

She was not going to get away with it.

Blackmail and dirty secrets be damned, if the last thing Merlin could do before they came for him was ensure Arthur’s survival, so be it.

* * *

Morgana does not know how the fuck Arthur survived the Perilous Lands despite the phoenix eye in the bracelet.

But the one thing she does now, is that Merlin had something to do with it; she’s no fool and does not believe Gaius’s excuse that the boy was collecting a rare herb for him in the Darkling Wood.

Well, Morgana did warn him.

And she was a woman of her word.

She’s about to knock on Arthur’s door when she realizes that perhaps her brother is not a good idea. Sure, it _would_ hurt Merlin more to be denounced by his precious Arthur- but the blond was also strangely fond of the boy.

No, the sorceress couldn’t take the risk of Merlin being let go with a slap on his hand and a visit to the stocks.

She had to make him disappear.

Steeling herself, Morgana knocks on Uther’s door.

“Sire?” she whispered with tears in her eyes, “I must tell you something important”

* * *

Merlin wonders if the guards of Camelot are trained to drag their prisoners no matter their weight, because they do it with disturbing ease.

They’ve showed to his room, literally dragging him out of bed where he’d been trying to settle for a small nap after the numerous chores Arthur had saddled him with for the day, announcing his arrest by order of the King.

He’d immediately known what it was about the moment they stepped into the throne room, Uther looking down at him with a thunderous expression while he held a sobbing Morgana in his arms.

“Is it true, Merlin of Ealdor-” Uther began with a cold voice, “That you conspired with the sorceress Morgause to kidnap the Lady Morgana Le Fay two years ago, on the attack that forced everyone asleep?”

Merlin gaped, realizing with growing horror what Morgana had actually done.

“I- No!” he stammered through his defense, feeling himself slowly go into a state of shock, “I didn’t- Why would I-?”

“Silence!” the King commanded with rage. Merlin couldn’t help shrunk back in fear, “You’re a disgrace to this household, consorting with the enemy to make Camelot weak. Not only you willingly went to a known enemy, but you harmed a member of nobility so they could be taken away!”

Merlin could only sit on the floor, trembling.

She hadn’t used made use of the blackmail- she’d thrown in a false accusation as well-

“For this insult- for this betrayal to Camelot, you shall be executed by the axe” Uther declared.

Under the King’s arms, Morgana shot him a smirk.

As he was dragged out of the room, Merlin made eye contact with Arthur, who’d been barely hidden behind a collum.

His dear friend was looking at him like he’d never known him.

Merlin was thankful that the doors closed on his face so no one could see the tears fall.

* * *

Morgana did not expect Arthur in her chambers after Merlin’s trial.

She expect less the stoic and calculating look in his eyes as she walked in.

“Is it true?” he asked.

Morgana resisted the urge to sigh and roll her eyes at him.

“Yes” she whispered instead, making her eyes tear up, “Arthur-” she said, making sure her voice quivered, “Arthur, that night- he poisoned me with hemlock”

For a moment, her brother is silent.

“What did you do?” Arthur finally asked, voice monotone.

Morgana gaped for a moment, before reminding herself that’s she’s to play the victim here.

“What do you mean?” she asks, placing a hand over her breast while forcing tears to fall, “Why won’t you believe me?”

“Oh, I believe you” Arthur said, face expressionless, “But I also know Merlin. He wouldn’t have poisoned you if not for a good reason” he advanced towards her, while Morgana could only gape at him.

“So I’m going to ask again, Morgana; what did you do?”

The sorceress shock herself out of her stupor, looking at the blond with outrage.

“I did nothing!” she hissed, “Merlin pretended to be my friend before handling me the poison”

Arthur pursed his lips, gazing at her with calculating eyes.

Since when does the fool even questions her word?!

“If I recall correctly, you were the only one that day who was not asleep” the blond said, frowning, “Merlin and I began to fall under the effects and you-” his eyes widened, “You were alright”

Morgana laughed nervously.

“Surely- Arthur what are you suggesting?”

“Morgana, what if you were made the focus of the enchantment?” Arthur asked, oblivious to how she stilled, “And Merlin figured it out? He was just about to follow me in falling asleep! He was forced to poison you in order to stop it!” the Crown Prince guessed.

“I-”

“It was either you or the rest of Camelot in danger” Arthur whispered in realization.

“Well then-” Morgana stammered, shocked that her brother had come this far.

“Father needs to know this” the blond murmured, turning away from her towards the doors, “It’s been all a misunderstanding-”

He was going to clear Merlin’s name, Morgana numbly realized.

… Not if she had anything to say about it.

“You’re not going anywhere” she mumbled under her breath, grabbing the water pitcher and smashing it on his head with all her might, adding even a little magic for further effect.

To Morgana’s satisfaction, Arthur dropped in a dead faint.

Walking over her brother, the sorceress got out of the room, locking it from the outside with a small incantation just in case; before making her way down to the dungeons.

A little gloating would do her wonders.

* * *

Merlin had been trying to regain his breathing after getting beaten by Uther’s Knights the moment he was thrown on the cell.

He’d refused to completely break under their assault, but as soon as he was left alone the tears began to fall anew.

The warlock knew he could escape. Just a whispered spell and he’d be free to run away from Camelot before the axe fell-

“Well, this is a pathetic sight”

Without looking, Merlin grabbed the bowl of cold soup that had been lying next to him and threw it to the cell bars.

He smiled a bit in satisfaction when he heard Morgana’s shriek of indignation that came after the crash.

“Let me guess” Merlin idly turned to look at the sorceress, “You came to gloat”

Morgana glared.

He smirked, ignoring his wayward tears.

“I’ve got to admit, you surprised me with the false accusations” Merlin began to say, settling himself on the cell-wall to stare directly at her, “Quite surprised you didn’t add something like abuse or rape into it so Uther would run me through right there”

Morgana huffed, but gave him a dark smile nonetheless.

“I did warn you-”

She stilled for a moment, looking warily at the entrance to the dungeons. Merlin turned to the direction as well, focusing his hearing.

A pair of footsteps echoed briefly, but they went quickly.

Morgana shrugged before turning to look back at him.

“I did warn you that if you intervened with my plans that I would spill your dirty little secret” she said with a near maniac glint in her eyes, “I had to lie to make it even more convincing. You can’t stop me if you’re dead”

Merlin laughed to himself, unbelieving the slight hypocrisy in her blackmail.

“Dirty little secret” the warlock murmured softly, “You know what’s funny about that?”

The sorceress gave a bored hum.

“I could have done the same to you”

Morgana narrowed her eyes at him.

“I could have gone to Arthur, tell him everything you done against Camelot with the necessary evidence to convince him” Merlin revealed in a cold voice before sighing, “But I didn’t, because for some strange reason I had this small hope that you would see the error of your ways, settle back into a light path; stand proudly beside Arthur when the time came”

“Obviously you were wrong” the King’s ward sweetly replied. Merlin let out an unamused snort.

“Obviously”

Morgana tilted her head at him for a moment, looking smug.

Gods, Merlin wanted to hit her.

“Well then” she said as smoothed her dress, eyes glowing faintly to destroy the stain in the fabric, “I supposed this is goodbye, Merlin” she laughed that cruel new giggle of hers, “Don’t worry much about Arthur, he’ll join you in Avalon soon enough”

In the blink of an eye, Merlin had gotten up from his slumped spot to gripping the cell bars, looking down at her with outrage.

“Don’t you dare” he whispered with barely controlled anger, “Don’t you dare hurt him, Morgana or I swear-”

“What?” she asked with amusement, “You’ll be dead in a few candle marks, the executioner is already sharpening the axe”

“I understand your anger to Uther” Merlin said lowly, “I do. But Arthur is not his father”

“You’re wrong” she hissed, “Arthur will bring the same misery Uther pests Camelot with”

Merlin paused, frowning in thought.

“Have you seen a vision?” he asked, tilting his head in curious suspicion when she did not answer, pursing her lips and looking away.

“I will make a better ruler” Morgana claimed in a cool tone, unwillingly confirming his hunch with the dodged answer, “I understand the lives of the people better, people with magic better!”

“And yet you haven’t hesitated to hurt them in order to get your way” Merlin drawled, smiling slowly when she glared, “For what I’ve seen, at least Arthur makes the effort to listen to the marginalized. Or have you not noticed how he listens to Gwen’s council? Or mine? And didn’t he also tried to understand the Druids when you played that little stunt with the Crystal of Neahtid?”

Morgana growled, her eyes glowing yellow-

And Merlin felt the air leave his lungs at the same time his head made contact with the stone wall.

“Bastard!” she screamed.

“Takes o-one to k-know one” Merlin faintly muttered as the edges of his vision began turning black while his ears rang.

A force began compressing his throat; the raven began chocking, clawing at his neck while trying to calm his magic down to avoid Morgana’s discovery.

“I’ll see if I can convince Uther to put your head on a spike” he heard her say as everything began to turn fully go dark; still fighting for breath, “I’ll watch the crows feast upon your eyes and gladly see your precious Arthur witness them do so-”

Merlin lost consciousness, her cruel laugh being the last thing he heard.

* * *

Someone was shaking him.

“-lin?”

“-LIN!”

Merlin opened his eyes.

“Arthur?” he croaked with confusion, “What- what are you doing here?”

The Crown Prince was staring at him with panic and fierce determination.

“Getting you out” he revealed, to Merlin’s shock.

“What?”

He thought- oh gods-

Arthur let out a shaky sigh at the same time he began trying to unlock the chains in the warlock’s wrists- and when the fuck was he encased in those?!

“I know Morgana lied to Father” Arthur began to say, viciously placing his dagger onto the keyhole, “I confronted her about it, because I know you would never- fuck!” he hissed when the knife broke.

The Crown Prince then looked at him.

“Can’t you use your magic?” he asked.

Merlin stilled.

“… What?” he whispered, feeling himself go into shock for the second time in the day.

“ _Mer_ lin” Arthur urged, shaking him by the shoulders as they heard footsteps approaching, “I’m not mad- I swear- but we’re losing time-”

It was the growing panic in the blond’s voice what did it for the warlock.

Letting out a shaky breath, Merlin let his magic out, breaking the chains that Morgana must have put on him, because he felt a hiss of dark magic leaving the manacles.

He looked at the Crown Prince with slight fear, but Arthur looked… in awe?

Merlin didn’t have time to understand the emotion on the blond’s face, for he shook himself before taking the raven by the hand and dragged him upwards and out of the cells, towards a secret passage between the end of the dungeon that Merlin faintly recognized to lead to the siege tunnels.

For a while, both men were silent.

“How long have you known?” Merlin finally asked in a small voice as they made their way through the tunnels, “How did you figure it out?”

“The Fisher King” Arthur admitted, turning to look at him for a moment with a wry smile, “The keeper at the bridge… he said courage, strength and magic were needed for the quest. He addressed me as Courage”

“I could have been Strength” Merlin weakly protested. The blond chuckled goodheartedly.

“Maybe” he said, turning to look forward, “But then I thought about it, and all the strange things that’ve happened in Camelot around me since you came made sense”

The raven clutched the Crown Prince’s hand, mind reeling.

A sennight.

Arthur had known for a sennight-

“You said you knew Morgana lied?” he questioned, frowning.

“I know you” Arthur said after being silent for a moment, “You would never consort with sorcerers that been a threat against Camelot, I’ll admit that despite my ignorance I know you would rather cut your foot off. So I confronted Morgana and she told me that you _had_ indeed poisoned her”

Merlin flinched in shame.

“But then I pressed her for the truth, because I also know that you would never do so maliciously and I begun to think back to the night she disappeared. I realized why you must have done it, Gaius even confirmed it for me when I asked; and Morgana then knocked me out when I went on my way to tell father. But uh-” Arthur chuckled nervously, “You may have a point with me having a thick head, because it was only for a moment. Once I got my bearings again I followed her”

Merlin’s breath hitched as a realization came to him.

“In the dungeons- Morgana and I heard footsteps-” he swallowed, “That was you”

Arthur nodded curtly.

“Yes” he admitted, voice tense. Merlin’s heart leaped to his throat when he recognized the growing anger in his tone, “Was anyone going to tell me that apparently Morgana is my sister and that she has magic? Oh! And conspiring against Camelot?!”

The blond didn’t exactly yell, but it was a close one that still made Merlin wince.

“Would you have believe me?” he asked in a small whisper.

Arthur sighed, stopping their walk and turning to look at Merlin.

“I-” he looked away, sapphire eyes uncertain, “Maybe. Probably- I really don’t know” he finally admitted in a murmur, “I thought I knew her”

“I supposed you could say the same about me” Merlin said, looking down while biting his lip, “I’ve been lying to you since the start”

“For survival, _Mer_ lin” Arthur’s voice had a small tone of exasperation to it, “I can understand your lying to keep your head on your shoulders, I only wish-” he hesitated, “I only wish you would have trusted me”

“I do trust you” Merlin said, clutching the Crown Prince hand again when he gave him a look, “I _do_ \- it’s just-” he tried to blink back the stinging tears behind his eyes.

“I- was scared- I _am_ scared. And fear can be overwhelming and sometimes you just can’t stop lying because you’re afraid that revealing your secrets will come to bite you in the ass and-” the warlock chocked, “And I didn’t want to make you choose between me and Uther”

Arthur was silent for a moment, before nodding.

“I suppose that’s fair” he conceded, pulling at Merlin’s hand as they resumed walking, “But a little too late for that, don’t you think?” he added with a small smile to the raven.

Merlin breathed out a laugh.

“I suppose” he bit his lip, “Thank you” he murmured, blushing slightly when the Crown Prince gave another press to their joined hands.

“What are you going to do about Morgana?” Merlin asked.

“I don’t know” Arthur whispered, “Perhaps- perhaps I could convince her to give me a chance?” he sighed, “But judging by your efforts, she doesn’t want to”

The warlock bit his lip, hesitating if he should say-

“I can hear you thinking from here, spit it out”

Merlin smiled for a bit.

“Just because I’ve given up doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try” he began to say, “Morgana doesn’t want to listen to me because- well- I’ve done her dirty, so to speak. But you haven’t”

Arthur turned to him, eyes hopeful.

“You think it will work?”

“One way to find out, I suppose”

Finally, they reached the end of the tunnel, were Merlin was surprised to find his horse waiting along with a pack.

Right.

He’d been planning to run away, hadn’t he?

“I asked Guinevere to help” Arthur revealed, looking nervous. Merlin gulped.

“I don’t know where to go” he admitted in a small voice, “I can’t go to Ealdor”

He’d be dammed if he was going to let his Mother be in danger, from anyone.

“Tintagel”

Merlin turned to Arthur, confused.

“Who?”

The blond chuckled, shaking his head as he let go of Merlin’s hand.

(The warlock couldn’t help but mourn the loss of touch)

“Not who, you idiot” Arthur said with amusement, “Where. It’s-” he paused, looking unsure, “It’s a state I own, by the coast and near Odin’s kingdom. It belonged to my mother” he revealed as Merlin felt his eyes widen, “I can’t go there because… well-”

“Odin hates you and if he knew you were near Cornwall he would send assassins after you” Merlin guessed.

“Indeed. And my father does not go near there for the same reason” Arthur smiled gently at him, “It’s a good hiding place. I put a map in you pack”

Merlin let out a shaky breath.

“Alright” he said in a small voice.

The men started at each other, eyes bright.

They both didn’t want to say goodbye.

The warning bells began sounding in the distance.

Before he could change his mind, Merlin threw himself at Arthur, encasing into a hug and was surprised to see that the blond returned it with vigor.

“Thank you” Merlin whispered again, voice teary.

“Come back when I’m King” Arthur murmured into his ear, “Come-” he pulled back to cup Merlin’s face in his hands, the raven’s breath hitching as he witnessed the raw emotion in the sapphire eyes.

“Come back… to me”

Merlin sucked in a breath.

_Oh._

The blond then bit his lip, looking slightly hesitant before nodding again, this time to himself, and reached into a pouched tied to his belt. Merlin never knew what he kept in there, always thinking that perhaps it was some coin, but what the Crown Prince took out was not money.

Instead, it was a sigil. One that Merlin did not recognize.

“This belonged to my mother” Arthur revealed in a soft voice, maintaining eye contact with the warlock as he placed it gently in his hand, “Will you keep it safe for me?”

Merlin swallowed. For Arthur to be giving a possession so clearly precious to himself to the raven-

Without breaking eye contact with Arthur, Merlin began to untie his neckerchief, placing it on the Crown Prince’s hands.

“Hang on to this until I’m back?” he asked softly. Arthur breathed out a small laugh as he nodded, sapphire eyes bright.

“I will”

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I know Morgana's 'father' is named Gorlois, but that's like, his name and not his last name. So I'm choosing to make Gorlois and Vivienne's last name Le Fay, because I like referencing Arthurian legend.
> 
> Also, I’ve always wondered why Morgana didn’t stick to her threat to Merlin about the whole poisoning thing, like- there was an opportunity for multiple events and character arcs to happen there.


End file.
